Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Seventh Day Baptists and the BJC - Final Thoughts

Within the next two months Seventh Day Baptist churches that have not already done so will decide how their delegates to the next General Conference should vote regarding our affiliation with the BJC. The specific question is "Shall the Seventh Day Baptist General Conference withdraw its membership from the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty?"

Both sides have had the opportunity to make a case. There have been discussions online, emails have been exchanged, and I have certainly had the opportunity to make my argument for withdrawal. I don't intend to engage the question further unless it becomes necessary to clarify some point or other. In summary, then:
  • The Baptist Joint Committee has supported much good legislation that protects religious expression and the free exercise of religion. When it has done so, it has almost always been in alliance with just about every other religious body or coalition, liberal or conservative, Christian or non, represented in Washington. The BJC has been on the right side of the "free exercise" clause causes - but so have other, more conservative groups.
  • The BJC has pursued a doctrinaire "wall of separation" position with respect to the "establishment clause." In alliance with a wide array of liberal religious and non-religious groups it has filed briefs encouraging the courts to adopt that view. The cumulative effect of such court decisions is to reduce the ability of religion to influence government policy and to prevent government from using religious institutions for social good. It has also been a vehicle used by anti-religious groups in America to increasingly remove religion from the public square.
  • Seventh Day Baptists who support the goals of the BJC are free to join it individually. There is no reason for those of us who don't support it to be involved merely because we belong to the denomination.
These arguments and others have been developed in the accumulated postings on the subject over the last ten months. Those can be found here.

The discussion of the issue that I have witnessed and in which I have participated, has, for the most part, been civil - avoiding personal attack and addressing the issues. If, in arguing my case I have ever failed in that regard, I am sorry. I am grateful for the openness and generosity of those with whom I have found myself in disagreement.

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